Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 vs. Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Camera Comparison, Reviews and Tests

In depth comparison and review of Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 and Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III. Compare design, sensors, proximity features, memory capacities and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right camera for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the digital camera that will best fit your needs.

Camera Specifications Comparison

Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 vs. Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Product Type Digital camera - 4K - mirrorless system Digital camera - 4K - mirrorless system
Lens Included Body only Body only
Height 6.69 cm 8.52 cm
Width 12 cm 12.53 cm
Depth 5.33 cm 4.97 cm
Weight 453 g 366 g
Weight Details Camera with battery and memory card: 453 g Camera body only: 366 g
Camera with battery and memory card: 414 g
Body Material Magnesium alloy -
Enclosure Colour - Black | Silver
Protection Dust-resistant, moisture-resistant Splashproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant
Digital Zoom 4x -
SENSOR Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Sensor Resolution 24.2 Megapixel 20.4 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type Exmor CMOS Live MOS
Total Pixels 25,000,000 pixels 21,800,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 24,200,000 pixels 20,400,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) Four Thirds (4/3")
Frame Rate (Max Resolution) 30 fps 24 fps
Sensor Dust Reduction Yes Yes
Sensor Features Dust Reduction (image sensor vibration), Anti-Dust coating Supersonic Wave Filter (SWF)
Image Stabiliser Optical (5-axis image sensor shift mechanism) Optical (5-axis image sensor shift mechanism)
Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser Yes Yes
Sensors Digital level metre Digital level metre
PROCESSOR Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Image Processor BIONZ X TruePic VIII
LENS Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Lens Mounting Type Sony E-mount Micro Four Thirds
FOCUSING Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Auto Focus TTL contrast and phase detection TTL contrast and phase detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 425 121
Auto Focus Features Focus Peaking function, Predictive Focus Control Focus Peaking function, Manual Focus Check Live View
AE/AF Control - Subject-tracking AF, Eye detection AF
Face Detection Smile Shutter Eye Detect AF
VIEWFINDER Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Viewfinder Type Electronic - OLED Electronic - OLED
Viewfinder Colour Support Colour Colour
Viewfinder Diagonal Size 0.39" -
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359,296 pixels 2,360,000 pixels
Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage 100% 100%
Optical Viewfinder Magnification 1.07x 1.37x
Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range -4 to +3 -4 to +2
Field of View Crop Factor 1.5 2
Features Viewfinder brightness control, colour temperature control -
EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
ISO (Max) 51200 25600
Native ISO 100-6400 200-25600
Extended ISO (Max) 25600 -
Extended ISO (Min) - 64
Light Sensitivity ISO 51200, ISO auto (100-6400), ISO 100-25600 ISO 100, ISO 64, ISO auto, ISO 200-25600
Exposure Metering Spot, average, highlight spot Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot
Exposure Metering Zones 1200 324
Exposure Modes Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority
Bracketing Modes Dynamic Range Bracketing, Flash Exposure Bracketing, white balance bracketing Art Filter bracketing, ISO sensitivity bracketing, Flash Exposure Bracketing, white balance bracketing
Shooting Programs Landscape, portrait mode, macro, night portrait, night scene, sports mode, sunset, handheld twilight, anti-motion blur -
Special Effects Black & White, Sepia, Neutral, Vivid, sunset, soft focus, illustration, landscape, portrait, Water Colour, miniature, clear, deep, light, autumn leaves, Retro, partial colour, Toy camera, Posterisation, High contrast monochrome, Pop Colour, HDR Painting, Rich-tone monochrome, Soft High-key, Night Scene, Standard, Style Box Soft focus, Water Colour, Diorama, Cross Process, partial colour, Grainy Film, Light Tone, Pop Art, Pale & Light Colour, pin hole, Gentle Sepia, Dramatic Tone, Bleach Bypass, Key Line, Vintage, Nostalgia, Neo Nostalgia
White Balance Custom, automatic, presets Custom, automatic, presets
White Balance Presets Incandescent, cloudy, Flash, daylight, shade, fluorescent light (cool white), fluorescent light (daylight), fluorescent light (warm white), Underwater, 2500K - 9900K, fluorescent light (daylight white) Fluorescent, sunlight, tungsten light, Flash, shade, overcast, Underwater, 2000K - 14000K
Shutter Type Mechanical electronically-controlled Mechanical, electronic
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec 1/32000 sec
Min Shutter Speed 30 sec 60 sec
Exposure Compensation ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps ±5 EV range, in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
Auto Exposure Bracketing 3, 5, 9 steps in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, 2 or 3 EV steps -
White Balance Bracketing Yes Yes
X-sync Speed 1/160 sec -
Exposure Range EV -2-20 (ISO 100) EV -2-20 (ISO 100)
DISPLAY Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Type 3" LCD display 3" LCD display
Touch Screen Yes Yes
Display Format 921,600 pixels 1,040,000 pixels
Display Form Factor Built-in Folding
Display Features Display brightness control Display brightness control, display colour control, Touch AF
FLASH Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Camera Flash Pop-up flash Detachable flash
Guide Number (m / ISO 100) 6 12.9
Flash Modes Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction, slow sync Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction
Red-Eye Reduction Yes Yes
Features AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control, high-speed synchronization (HSS) AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control, flash exposure bracketing
External Flash Name - Olympus FL-LM3
VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Digital Video Format AVCHD, H.264, XAVC S H.264, MOV
Image Recording Format JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG, MPO
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 4096 x 2160
Audio Signal Format Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel), Linear PCM, AAC Linear PCM
Surround Sound Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel) recording -
Microphone Operation Mode Stereo Stereo
Microphone Features - Wind noise reduction, sensitivity control
MEMORY Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Memory Card Slot Memory Stick PRO Duo card, SD card SD card
Supported Memory Cards SD Memory Card, Memory Stick PRO Duo, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card
Memory Card Included No No
Image Storage 6000 x 4000
4240 x 2832
3008 x 2000
6000 x 3376
4240 x 2400
3008 x 1688
RAW 5184 x 3888
JPEG 5184 x 3888
JPEG 1024 x 768
Video Capture XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 30 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 24 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 30 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 24 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 120 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 120 fps - 60Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps - 28Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 60 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 60 fps - 17Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps - 17Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps - 28Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps - 16Mbps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 p - 30 fps - 6Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 25 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S - 3840 x 2160 p - 25 fps - 60Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 50Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 100 fps - 100Mbps
XAVC S HD - 1920 x 1080 p - 100 fps - 60Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps - 28Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 50 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 i - 50 fps - 17Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 24Mbps
AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 17Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps - 28Mbps
H.264 - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps - 16Mbps
H.264 - 1280 x 720 p - 25 fps - 6Mbps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 p - 25 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 p - 24 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 p - 60 fps
MOV - 1920 x 1080 p - 50 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 p - 60 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 p - 50 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 p - 30 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 p - 25 fps
MOV - 1280 x 720 p - 24 fps
MOV - 4096 x 2160 p - 30 fps
MOV - 3840 x 2160 p - 30 fps
MOV - 3840 x 2160 p - 25 fps
MOV - 3840 x 2160 p - 24 fps
BATTERY AND CHARGING Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Battery Type Sony NP-FW50 Lithium Ion Olympus BLS-50 Lithium Ion
Details Sony NP-FW50 Li-ion rechargeable battery - 1080 mAh (included) Olympus BLS-50 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included)
Battery Life Photo shooting - 310 shots (EVF on)
Photo shooting - 350 shots (LCD Monitor on)
Video recording - 1.08 hours (EVF on)
Video recording - 1.17 hours (LCD Monitor on)
Photo shooting - 310 shots
CONNECTIONS Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Interface HDMI, USB 2.0, IEEE 802.11b/g/n, NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth 4.1 HDMI, USB 2.0, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2
Connectivity Features - Remote control via mobile devices, remote live view
Print Standard DPOF support, Exif Print support, PRINT Image Matching Exif Print support
Flash Terminal Hot shoe Hot shoe
Connector Type USB 2.0
HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D)
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Remote control
USB 2.0 (5 pin Micro-USB Type B)
HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D)
Microphone (mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm)
Remote control (sub-mini phone 2.5 mm)
FEATURES Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Self-Timer Delay 10 sec, 2sec, 5 sec 2sec, 12sec
Continuous Shooting Speed 8 frames per second, 3 frames per second, 6 frames per second, 11 frames per second 10 frames per second, 30 frames per second, 6 frames per second
HDR Mode Auto HDR mode -
Additional Features Built-in speaker, sharpness control, camera orientation detection, histogram display, saturation control, Sweep Panorama technology, shadow point display, highlight point display, contrast control, Dynamic Range Optimizer, built-in help guide, Dolby Digital Stereo Creator, Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC), x.v.Colour technology, Multi-Frame Noise Reduction, Eye-Fi Card Ready, noise reduction over long exposures, high ISO speed noise reduction, PlayMemories Camera Apps support, silent shooting, distortion correction function, Clear Image Zoom 2.0x, peripheral shading correction Auto power save, AE lock, AF lock, interval shooting mode, USB charging, high-speed recording, Touch Shutter technology, Focus Stacking, 50-megapixel High Resolution mode
OTHERS Sony Alpha6500 ILCE-6500 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III
Included Accessories Eyepiece cover, body cap, shoulder strap, AC power adaptor, micro-USB cable, hot shoe cap Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, USB cable
Max Operating Temperature 40 °C 40 °C
Min Operating Temperature 0 °C -10 °C
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